The European Union did not manage to reduce its planet-warming emissions last year, with preliminary data showing a slight increase in pollution levels compared to 2024.
The bloc released 3.34 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, according to early estimates published by Eurostat on Tuesday.
That marks a 1 percent increase from 2024, when the EU emitted 3.31 billion tons.
The longer-term trend still shows a decrease: Since 2015, the bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 17 percent. Last year’s emissions also remain just below 2023 levels.
But the latest data shows that the EU’s emissions-slashing efforts have slowed in recent years.
That’s despite pollution from the power sector steadily declining as more and more renewables come online, suggesting that the EU now needs to boost efforts to run sectors such as transport and heating on clean electricity rather than fossil fuels. The European Commission is expected to present a bloc-wide electrification target next month.